Big Sur Station, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Big Sur Station's normal year runs from 43°F December nights to 77°F August afternoons, with 44.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.1°C, December lows of 6°C, August highs of 25°C, 1,131 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBig Sur Station
- Station IDUSC00040790
- Location36.25°N 121.78°W
- Elevation200 ft (61 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Big Sur Station is 73°F and the normal low 48°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 13%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Big Sur Station.
- Jan 61° 42°
- Feb 61° 43°
- Mar 64° 43°
- Apr 67° 44°
- May 71° 46°
- Jun 74° 48°
- Jul 75° 51°
- Aug 77° 50°
- Sep 77° 50°
- Oct 74° 49°
- Nov 65° 45°
- Dec 59° 43°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Big Sur Station each month?
August is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 43°F. The most precipitation falls in January (9.48 in), the least in August (0.05 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61°F | 42°F | 51.4°F | 9.48 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 10 h |
| February | 61°F | 43°F | 51.9°F | 8.59 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 64°F | 43°F | 53.7°F | 6.72 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 67°F | 44°F | 55.4°F | 2.94 | 6 | <1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 71°F | 46°F | 58.0°F | 1.15 | 4 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 74°F | 48°F | 61.1°F | 0.20 | 1 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 75°F | 51°F | 63.0°F | 0.06 | <1 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 77°F | 50°F | 63.8°F | 0.05 | <1 | 2 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 77°F | 50°F | 63.5°F | 0.13 | 1 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 74°F | 49°F | 61.0°F | 1.88 | 3 | 2 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 65°F | 45°F | 55.3°F | 4.16 | 7 | <1 | <1 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 59°F | 43°F | 50.9°F | 9.18 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 46°F | 57.4°F | 44.54 | 65 | 11 | 3 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | 6°C | 10.8°C | 241 mm |
| February | 16°C | 6°C | 11.1°C | 218 mm |
| March | 18°C | 6°C | 12.1°C | 171 mm |
| April | 20°C | 6°C | 13.0°C | 75 mm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.4°C | 29 mm |
| June | 23°C | 9°C | 16.2°C | 5 mm |
| July | 24°C | 10°C | 17.2°C | 2 mm |
| August | 25°C | 10°C | 17.7°C | 1 mm |
| September | 25°C | 10°C | 17.5°C | 3 mm |
| October | 23°C | 9°C | 16.1°C | 48 mm |
| November | 19°C | 7°C | 12.9°C | 106 mm |
| December | 15°C | 6°C | 10.5°C | 233 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040790; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Big Sur Station?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November. Of those, July has the fewest days with rain (0).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040790.
When is the last frost at Big Sur Station?
In Big Sur Station, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after February 13 in half of years and after April 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 27 in half of years and before November 23 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 83% of years here (NOAA).
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- February 131 year in 10 after April 1; 9 in 10 after December 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 271 year in 10 before November 23; 9 in 10 before February 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 323 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 25 in half of springs and before January 6 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Big Sur Station in zone 10a in ZIP code 93923, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 31°F (15 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00040790; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Big Sur Station?
In a normal year in Big Sur Station, 11 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 3 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 65 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 3a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 65a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00040790.
How sunny is it at Big Sur Station?
Over a year 87% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Big Sur Station, 5.3 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (92%) and December the cloudiest (78%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 2.7 |
| February | 79% | 3.6 |
| March | 82% | 4.9 |
| April | 84% | 6.2 |
| May | 88% | 7.3 |
| June | 92% | 8.1 |
| July | 91% | 7.6 |
| August | 90% | 6.9 |
| September | 91% | 5.8 |
| October | 89% | 4.4 |
| November | 85% | 3.1 |
| December | 78% | 2.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Big Sur Station record?
A normal year at Big Sur Station brings 2,967 heating degree days, 45% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 212 cooling degree days, 77% fewer than the median (908). Four months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,885 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 421 | 1 |
| February | 367 | 1 |
| March | 352 | 3 |
| April | 296 | 8 |
| May | 232 | 15 |
| June | 141 | 24 |
| July | 95 | 32 |
| August | 76 | 37 |
| September | 96 | 50 |
| October | 161 | 37 |
| November | 295 | 6 |
| December | 437 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,967 | 212 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040790. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Big Sur Station's climate compare?
Big Sur Station is warmer than 53 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 194. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.4°F is warmer than 68%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Big Sur Station is Csb: temperate, dry-summer, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Big Sur Station's climate
What is the coldest month at Big Sur Station?
December, with a normal high of 59°F and a normal low of 43°F. The warmest is August (77°F by day, 50°F at night).
Does it snow at Big Sur Station?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is no measurable snow a year.
What is the rainiest month at Big Sur Station?
January, with 9.48 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 0.05 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Big Sur Station in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Big Sur Station in zone 10a in ZIP code 93923, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 31°F (15 years, 1991-2020): zone 10a.
How late can frost come at Big Sur Station?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after February 13; in one year in ten it comes after April 1. Waiting until April 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Carmel Valley, CA16 miles from this station, 58.3°F a year
- Monterey, CA24 miles from this station, 57.3°F a year
- Salinas, CA30 miles from this station, 58.1°F a year
- King City, CA36 miles from this station, 60.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made